


Just Add Water

by kisstheloststars



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender, vld - Fandom
Genre: Accidents, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Arguing, Boys In Love, Crying, Crying Keith (Voltron), Crying Lance (Voltron), Death, Deathfic, Declarations Of Love, Friendship/Love, Heavy Angst, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Injuries, Outer Space, Sacrifice, Self-Sacrifice, Space Flight, Teen Angst, Tragedy, Tragic Romance, True Love, klangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 11:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17042699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisstheloststars/pseuds/kisstheloststars
Summary: As usual, the Red Paladin's smooth voice had that inappropriately flirtatious tone to it.Lance spoke to their retired leader with an air of artificial confidence about him, probably as strained as ever through his facade. To Keith, the confidence that the younger boy put on display was poisoned - it was almost like he feigned commitment and focus, just to be liked by others.





	Just Add Water

**Author's Note:**

> s8 sucKED ASS, LOL. BUT ANYWAY, YES, HELLO THERE DEAR READERS!~ <3
> 
> I STAN KLANCE, SO PLS ENJOY THIS ANGST.
> 
> Inspirations for this fic:  
> Gravity (2013)  
> Cavetown – Just Add Water (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ez_WuF2TiE)  
> THIS KLANCE CMV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKrb_ivVOjg

_'Houston, this is Lance, commencing status report - we're currently en route to the targeted location - should be there in about six doboshes.'_

_'Roger that, Red Paladin - good work.'_

In the midst of the familiarly dark, intimidating space behind his eyelids, Keith noted how heightened his other senses had become. He furrowed his eyebrows in a deep concentration.

Whilst the black-haired boy’s ears were ringing ever so slightly, he could practically feel the fuzziness of Shiro’s familiarly low voice. The ex-Paladin was exchanging dialogue over the intercom installed within the Lions – the legendary defenders of the universe by proxy.

Additionally, Keith noted how the elder man’s low, humming voice was on the border of becoming indistinct. A relatively weak signal was present as it took the form of wave frequencies, visually displayed on one of the multiple glowing tabs across the Black Lion's screen, which Keith directly sat opposite of.

Despite all of that, however, the Black Paladin could hear Lance just fine.

As usual, the Red Paladin's smooth voice had that inappropriately flirtatious tone to it. Lance spoke to their retired leader with an air of artificial confidence about him, probably as strained as ever through his facade. To Keith, the confidence that the younger boy put on display was poisoned - it was almost like he feigned commitment and focus, just to be liked by others.

 _'Especially Allura...'_ Was all the Black Paladin could think to himself in annoyance, furrowing his eyebrows once again. 

As Keith let out a quiet enough grunt and cleared his throat, he then redirected his attention towards opening his eyes slowly. The boy noticed the stuffy and humid air within the Black Lion, causing him to squint his eyes.

The landscape through the electrifying amber eyes caused Keith to find himself met with the dark abyss of space, beyond the screen and multiple glowing tabs. 

The flickering stars were scattered around the landscape - either dying, or fighting for their lives - Keith liked to think that it was the latter. He could feel his grip subconsciously tighten on the controls of his Lion, and found that an unpleasant, persistent feeling had increased by tenfold - the unease had hit him all at once.

If it wasn't for the Black Lion and his Red Paladin suit, he would be dead - _vulnerable as he's floating and repeatedly rotating, completely frozen_. The mere thought made him shiver. 

 _'It still feels strange to pilot Black...'_ He thought, breathing out slightly to stabilise his state of mind, _'Maybe Shiro should---'_

Keith instantly paused in shock at the thought - his lavender-coloured eyes widened, and the boy quickly shook his head, interrupting his mind from conjuring up any more destructive thoughts.

 _'I promised he would never come in harms way ever again...'_ He stated to himself.

Just the thought of slapping the title of 'leader of the defenders of the universe' back onto Shiro made Keith feel sick.

For Shiro and the team's sake, Keith would take on the leadership role - he would pilot Black. Shiro had been through enough.

_'Keith...?'_

The paladin jumped slightly at the sudden address, before turning his head towards the intercom. 

 _'You alright...?'_ Shiro added on, relatively cautious of Keith's reply. 

The Black Paladin could recognise the amount of worry laced in the elder's voice, and couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I'm fine," He replied, not really knowing where to look, "Just a bit...tired, that's all." He explained.

 _'Try not to overdo it, man,'_ Lance stated, _'We can't afford to jeopardise this mission!'_

Keith took what Lance was saying into account. His eyes eventually trailed off to the video projection of the Red Paladin, whose short brown hair was relatively dishevelled. The boy additionally had beads of sweat forming on his dark skin, and his Blue Paladin suit juxtaposed Keith's ex-Lion. 

They really needed to colour coordinate in line with the Lion that they were currently piloting, Coran would say, but they were far too busy with defending the universe to even care.

"I won't." Keith replied with a stern nod.

 _'Alrighty. Houston, we'll be commencing ejection from our Lions in three doboshes - time to start this!'_ Lance stated smoothly.

 _'Roger that, Red Paladin.'_ Shiro replied. 

Lance grinned proudly. 

"Don't humour him by going along with the whole 'Houston' thing, Shiro." Keith scolded, rolling his eyes - the elder gave a low chuckle in reply, "Also, his name is Lance - not Roger."

There was an awkward pause as Hunk and Pidge could be heard snorting in the background. That is, before they proceeded to laugh loudly, practically on the verge of tears. Coran's curiosity could also be heard in the background, as he questioned what was so funny.  

 _'...Are you joking?'_ Lance asked with a cocked eyebrow, looking directly at Keith through the video projection.

"What?" Keith inquired back.

Lance instantly facepalmed, muttering something about the situation being similar to their attempt at the Voltron cheer - which Keith still didn't understand _what the problem was_ regarding.

 _'We're keeping an eye out for any interference, so you two can relax.'_ Allura reassured.

After the two Paladins gave the affirmative, the next few minutes were quiet for them. They attempted to busy themselves by testing the assets that came with their Paladin suits, and scanning the space around them - but it was a futile effort. They were both nervous about getting out of their Lions and venturing the unknown.

Eventually, the two stared through their respective screens, sneaking glances at the other's displayed video projections from time to time.

It was only when Keith saw Lance staring, that Lance jolted in a panic, proceeding to frown. 

 _'What?'_ He asked defensively.

"You were staring at me." Keith stated in reply.

Lance instantly squinted an eye, grimacing.

 _'Huh?! What the quiznak are you talking about?!'_ He exclaimed in offence, _'If anything, **you** were the one staring at  **me**!'_ He added on, stubbornly insisting.

 _'Lance.'_ Shiro stated, tone full of warning. Keith couldn't help but smirk at the sight of Lance narrowing his eyes, eyebrows tilted upwards.

After a few moments, Lance closed his eyes, letting out a quick sigh of defeat.

 _'Yeah, yeah, I know,'_ He replied, standing up out of his seat, _'Gotta start the mission.'_ He added on with a mutter.

Keith proceeded to follow Lance's action, and headed straight for Black's exit with resolve. Their Lions were floating side by side - or, as Lance would say, 'neck and neck' - Keith knew that much.

Their mission was to fix a particular alien satellite, due to a persistent wavelength inconsistency on the planet which requested this of them. Pidge, Hunk, and Allura's Lions were quite damaged from their last battle against the Galra, so it was up to Keith and Lance to get this job done - they couldn't afford further damage.

Through his helmet's built-in intercom, Keith could hear tools whirring and sparks flying, upon making contact with metal - Hunk and Pidge fixing the Lions up, as usual.

Keith couldn't help but frown once again, closing his eyes momentarily. He sighed out.

 _'Ready, boys?'_ Allura asked.

"Ready." Keith replied monotonously. He just wanted this lame mission to be over with, already.

 _'Ready!'_ Lance stated with a beam. 

 _'Commence ejection from Lions in three...'_ Shiro began in instruction, causing the two Paladins to tense up out of reflexive unease.

It was space, after all.

_Anything could go wrong at any second._

_'Two...one...'_

_Keith thought he had died for a split tick._

Time seemed to slow down for both of the Paladins, as their Lions opened and ejected them on command. Just like that, Keith and Lance floated into the unknown, and turned to look at each other warily for a brief tick. Their Lions were closer than Keith had thought - and something told him that Lance was thinking the exact same thing. Everything was disorientated. 

 _'All levels are stable.'_ Shiro stated.

 _'It'll be a five dobosh journey to the satellite!'_ Coran added on with excitement.

 _'Pidge will send over the co-ordinates to your visors now,'_ Allura stated, _'It consists of a cloaking device that you must deactivate first, if you are to get anywhere with the mission.'_

"Alright." Keith replied, not really knowing what more to say.

It was a straightforward mission, really. Find the satellite, deactivate its cloaking device, figure out what's wrong with it through scans, as well as Pidge's intellect, and fix it. Simple.

Keith felt strangely uneasy floating away from Black and Red - he turned his head once again towards Lance, to see that the boy was the same. Despite that, Keith noticed that they were quite a distance away from each other.

"Lance," He addressed, "Don't you think we should stick together?"

Lance turned his head and looked at his fellow Paladin in a mixture of what could only be described as confusion and disgust.

" _Uh... **no?**_ " Lance replied, as though he was offended by Keith even having the audacity to ask such a thing.

The Black Paladin sighed out.

"You're such an asshole sometimes."

" _What?!_ _Well, your mullet fucking sucks, you---_ " 

 _'Guys!'_ Shiro interjected sharply. The two boys jumped.

 _'Have you guys received the co-ordinates yet?'_ Pidge inquired impatiently, causing Keith to blink in realisation. 

A map and a bunch of numbers had popped up on their blue-tinted visors, with what seemed like an outline of the hidden satellite they were looking for.

"Oh, yeah, we got 'em." Lance stated, examining the sight closely.

Keith tilted his head slightly, wondering if Lance was feigning his concentration, too. 

Eventually, he let the thought go, and whether Lance liked it or not, they were going to complete this mission together. 

_Side by side. Neck and neck._

_Whatever._

The Black Paladin rolled his eyes.

Keith began using more thrust with his suit's jet pack, pushing him to the side, towards Lance. What the boy underestimated, however, was just how much of it he was using all at once, crashing into Lance's shoulder with impact.

" _Hey, what the **fuck**?!_" Lance yelled out in shock, attempting to gather himself.

 _'What is it?!'_ Shiro and Allura asked simultaneously in a panic.

 _'Is it the Galra?!'_ Coran asked.

"No!" Lance snapped, dusting himself off, and backing away slightly from his rival with a dirty look, "Keith crashed into me!"

"My suit just malfunctioned." Keith replied with a defensive frown, "Sorry, everything's fine." He added on with a mutter.

Allura, Coran, and Shiro could be heard sighing out in a collective relief.

 _'That's quite the start you gave us!'_ Coran stated, and all of a sudden, Keith felt his face heat up. 

"Let's just finish this already." He concluded irritably.

And so, once again, the two Paladins began floating towards their co-ordinated destination - _closer this time, however._

* * *

"Man, I miss Earth." Lance sighed out.

"Shiro says that we'll be a few steps closer to it after we complete this mission." Keith replied, keeping his eyes glued on connecting the target satellite's multitude of wires.

It hadn't taken the two boys long to find the satellite at all - once Lance had bumped into it pretty badly, that is. Of course, Keith sniggered.

Once the two had deactivated the cloaking device upon Hunk's instructions, the two Paladins couldn't help but stare at the sight. 

The target satellite was huge and towered over them, located in the midst of a graveyard of sorts. Smaller satellites, screws, and scrapped parts were floating past tranquilly as space debris. Many of these satellites were also identified by Lance as stray satellites which used to belong to the Garrison, in an attempt of further space exploration, and the search for extra terrestrial life. Pidge begged them to bring a sample back for her analysis, but was stopped by Shiro.

And right now, the two Paladins' intercoms had disconnected through their helmets - which wasn't anything to worry about in particular, as Pidge's intellect would have them re-establish connection in no time. 

So it was just Keith and Lance. _Neck and neck._

"Fucking great..." Keith muttered to himself.

The Black Paladin was tasked with connecting the wires of the satellite which had, for some reason, disconnected internally. Lance was also tasked with reconnecting a different section of wires, floating above Keith's head.

"Yeah, I hope so..." Lance replied, continuing their conversation, "He said the exact same thing, _four_ missions before..." The Blue Paladin stated, snapping Keith out of his momentary daze.

The Black Paladin then sighed out.

"He's trying his best." Keith reasoned in reply, "He misses Earth just as much as you."

"I know, I know..." Lance stated, before looking down at Keith, "Still - it'd be kinda nice to go back soon. I haven't gone surfing in _ages_."

"You? _Surfing?_ I don't buy it." Keith scoffed, cocking an eyebrow as he looked up at the boy.

"I'll have you know that I've taken a fair share of beauties to the romantic beaches of Cuba for dates!" Lance exclaimed, "So yeah, _actually_ \- _buy it, and shut your quiznak!_ " He snapped, turning his head back to face the wires.

" _Classic._ " Keith replied, his gaze lingering on Lance for a few moments, before he set back to work.

The Black Paladin noticed just how defensive Lance seemed - and not in a 'legendary defender of the universe' kind of way. It was more like a childlike defensive. _Secretive, yet fully exposed._

Undoubtedly, there was an awkward silence between them. Keith seemed fully wary of it, although he knew that Lance had nothing more to say to him. 

Eventually, Keith blinked in surprise when he could hear humming coming through the intercom. Lance had become slightly louder, and was even whistling from time to time. After a while, Lance was fully distracted, singing lyrics as loudly as he could, much to Keith's annoyance. But the black-haired boy could see just how well Lance could sing, and play his air guitar.

"What song is that?" Keith asked after a few moments, causing Lance to pause, and turn to look down at him.

" _...Why d'you care?_ " The Red Paladin asked with a cocked eyebrow, folding his arms.

"I don't, _I just..._ " Keith paused, looking away as he felt his face heat up suddenly, "You--It, I mean...it sounds nice. Sounds familiar, too." He added on.

Lance paused, blinking at the boy in disbelief - he then cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Well...thanks." Lance replied, and Keith shook his head a few times.

"Don't mention it." 

"I don't remember the song's name." Lance stated, "So I couldn't tell you." He added on.

"Don't worry about it." Keith replied with a small laugh, "I don't expect much from you."

"Wh-- _hey!_ " Lance snapped, causing Keith to laugh once again, only a little bit louder this time. 

Eventually, Lance couldn't help the smile which had grown on his own face.

"Just for that, I'm gonna sing throughout this _entire_ mission!" The Red Paladin stated, beginning to do so, and Keith gradually stopped laughing.

Quite a while had passed, and the two boys were continuing on with their work. Keith stared at the wires blankly.

“Lance...D'you reckon we'll get another shot at life? After this one ends, I mean?” 

Lance had brought his singing to a gradual hum, then an altogether halt, staring bug-eyed at Keith.

" _Woah man, what a way to lighten the mood._ "

"No, I'm serious." Keith replied.

Lance parted his lips, before pressing them together into a thin line. He stared blankly at the black-haired boy.

"What d'you mean by 'life'?" He asked, "Like, when we retire from being Paladins of Voltron, or...?"

"No," Keith replied with a shake of his head, "I mean...when we die. Will we get another shot at living?"

There that awkward pause was again, Keith noticed - Lance was taken aback, but eventually, he just gave a casual shrug in reply.

“...I mean, if alternate realities exist, I don’t particularly doubt it.” The Red Paladin stated.

"So...say if that _is_ the case," Keith replied, "That we get another shot at life, and the new life we're given is in an alternate universe, or something - how do we know that we're the original version of ourselves? And not just a variation of the original version?"

"Uh...I don't--...really follow what you're trying t'say?" Lance inquired, cocking an eyebrow in confusion.

"I don't know, I mean..." Keith huffed out, "D'you think there's some other version of ourselves in an alternate reality, where we...well, us two specifically, uh...you know..." He trailed off worriedly.

"... _What?_ " Lance asked.

" _Get along?_ "

All of a sudden, Lance couldn't reply. They had lost consciousness in a split tick. There was an impact.

* * *

' _K_ _eith, Lance! Are you two okay?!'_ Shiro asked in a frantic state.

 _'Where on Altea did that come from?!'_ Allura inquired in utter shock.

 _'Paladins, answer us!'_  Coran pleaded desperately.

Panic and chaos. Their voices were tuning in and out. 

_Keith noticed the excruciating pain first._

He was sprawled out on a hard surface - another satellite, perhaps. His eyes were squeezed shut. His head was pounding, despite the helmet. _It felt like a sauna._

He had passed out, he must have. _Wait, was this all a dream?_ Something had happened. It had happened way too fast, though. Keith attempted to open his eyes, but they flickered and faltered ever so slowly in the process. He could feel just how heavy his eyelids were. He could feel just how hazy his vision was. The dull ache was still sharp.

_Was he dead?_

_Where was Lance?_

"Lance..." He whispered, in an attempt to call out to the boy. 

He focused on his outstretched hand, before registering everything all at once. But he couldn't bolt up. He was vulnerable, as he slowly attempted to rise. His hand felt free, like it was missing something. He was on his hands and knees, feeling his body shake profusely. 

_" **Keith!** " _

The Black Paladin's eyes widened. 

He quickly raised his head, looking around desperately amidst the space debris and pitch black. It was Lance's voice. He was yelling out towards him - with so much worry. 

Eventually, Keith could see that Lance was a distance away, seeming just as bruised and battered as his suit was. But for some reason, Lance couldn't use his jet pack.

He was floating, jumping, and hitting against surfaces messily, in an attempt to reach the Black Paladin. He was just as desperate, and grunting upon the multiple impacts. Keith felt safer once Lance had made the final leap, hitting the same surface and landing next to him roughly.

"Are you alright?" Keith asked hoarsely. 

"I'm fine," Lance coughed out, "What about you?' He asked, quickly standing up and patting himself down.

"I'm okay." 

"Take my hand." Lance insisted, and Keith quickly took the boy's outstretched hand in his own with a smile, being pulled up to stand promptly.

"Thanks, Lance." Keith said, staring into his fellow Paladin's eyes.

"We're a good team, remember?" Lance asked with a genuine smile, returning the gaze. 

His facial expression had dropped, however, once he had looked down at Keith's hand, and let go.

"Wait-- _where's your bayard?!_ " He called out in question.

The Black Paladin widened his eyes once again in realisation, before looking around frantically. 

" _Shit!_ " Keith yelled out.

He could feel himself losing control over his emotions. Everything was warping, and that feeling of disorientation was becoming far more prominent.

"Calm down!" Lance snapped, placing a reassuring hand on the boy's back, "It could have gotten mixed up in the space debris! No point in worrying about it now."

Despite his heavy breathing, Keith did his best to listen to Lance, and attempted to stabilise himself shakily.

"Does your jet pack work?" Lance asked with knitted eyebrows, "Mine doesn't. But we've got to stay as calm as possible, and get back to our Lions." He informed.

Once Keith had nodded in agreement, he attempted to get his own jet pack working. 

_However, it was to no avail. Whatever had impacted them from behind, it was strong enough to break their suits._

_'Boys, do you come in?!'_

Allura's voice had fuzzed into audible range, and in that moment, an insurmountable relief had washed over the two, as their eyes widened.

" _Yeah! Yeah,_ we're here!" Lance practically yelled.

"Our jet packs are busted!” Keith stated, “And my bayard is gone!”

"Just what the quiznak happened?!" Lance asked defensively.

 _'A beam of quintessence!'_ Coran stated.

 _'But not the Altean kind!'_ Allura added on.

"Are the Galra behind it?!" Keith asked.

 _'It looks like it! The energy waves you guys were hit with are identical to the ones we faced when Zarkon and Lotor were still around!'_ Pidge informed.

 _'The responsive signals from your Lions are fading! I’m also picking up an unfamiliar energy which managed to penetrate your armour’s jet packs!'_ Hunk added on in a panic.

 _'I've never seen anything like this before!'_ Allura stated in disbelief. 

"There aren't any Galra ships in sight, though!" Keith stated, looking around, "It's too dark to see anything, anyway!"

"Scanning for any cloaking devices - their ships may be closer than we think!" Lance stated.

The Red Paladin lifted his wrist and began moving left and right, causing a small tab to appear on his blue-tinted visor. However, nothing was picked up.

 _'Do your wrist-mounted blasters work?!'_ Shiro asked.

 _'If you shoot them repeatedly, the impact might be able to serve as a backup jet pack!'_ Allura informed.

 _'Allura's right! That way you can get inside of the Lions, and wait for us to arrive and help!'_ Pidge added on.

The two paladins abruptly tested their shooters.

 _Dread. Utter dread. A feeling of impending doom._ The two Lions were no longer connected to their pilots, either. Such a realisation made both Keith and Lance pause in disbelief.

They turned their heads to look at each other - the fear was prominent, reflected in both of their eyes.

_Keith couldn't hear a thing. Couldn't feel a connection._

_Neither could Lance._

“No...no, they---..." Lance swallowed, " _They don’t work._ "

 _'Haggar must have done something!'_ Allura yelled.

"That aside, Black stopped communicating with me!" Keith stated.

"Red, too!" Lance added on.

 _'They are using long distance range! They are draining the power from your Lions, and their elemental crystals!'_ Allura stated.

" _Meaning?!_ " Lance asked.

 _'Meaning that the Lions are rendered useless without quintessence, and the crystals to power them!'_ Coran explained. 

" _...Holy shit..._ " Was all Lance said. Or _could_ say.

There was a certain breathlessness in his voice, Keith noticed - but he could understand.

_Chances are they were going to die. So soon. Already?_

_'The Lions have shut down completely!'_ Pidge called out, _'Initiating backup quintessence sequence now! Let's hope this works! I need to get at least one of them to respond again!'_

 _'Uh, guys?!'_ Hunk called out, _'They just struck one of the Garrison's abandoned satellites - there's a chain reaction between other satellites! The cloud of space debris is expanding!'_

 _'Coran, find out how long they have!'_ Shiro ordered abruptly.

 _'Keith, Lance - get out of there, **now!'**_ Allura ordered.

 _'It's heading your way!'_ Coran stated.

Lance's facial expression became that of mortification, upon turning around and seeing a satellite making multiple rotations per second. It was heading towards them at an alarming speed. The satellite they were currently on. Keith's eyes widened.

" _Lance, jump!_ " He yelled out, taking the Red Paladin's hand in his own reflexively.

There wasn't any time to think at all - Lance obliged with no questions. The two quickly ran away, leaping towards another satellite, which had many wires floating out of it. Another brutal blow.

If they had stayed on that surface for another tick, they would have been dead, for sure.

After all, Keith stared in disbelief at the sight - the impact was like a domino effect, sending the satellite himself and Lance were just on to begin rotating in a similar fashion. 

_This was a nightmare. It must have been._

Lance's breathing pattern began to mess up - it was unsteady, and he quickly let go of Keith's hand.

"Holy shit---if--if it wasn't for your call, Keith---"

"Enough!" Keith snapped in interruption, "You don't need to say it!"

_'Keith!'_

_'Watch out!'_

_'No!'_

_The Black Paladin turned his head to look beyond Lance._

_He stared in disbelief, eyes growing wide. A clump of space debris was heading towards him._

_Quick enough so that neither Lance or Keith could do anything about it._

_Impact was made, and the debris hit against Keith's chest - he had lost balance. He had lost his grip, and Lance opened his mouth to scream out._

_Keith was rotating, panicking, and could feel everything spinning._

_" **NO!** " _Lance screamed - _h_ e was screeching, and sounded downright bestial. His voice pricked Keith's ears.

The Red Paladin instantly jumped off of the satellite, and floated forwards. He grabbed the longest floating wire he could. Raising his bayard, Lance instantly fixed his sight on Keith's hand. The bayard abruptly took the form of a grappling device, and with swift precision, Lance threw the wire at Keith, who desperately made strained, vocal grunts.

After a few moments, all that could be heard was Keith's heavy breathing. He had stopped rotating, and could see Lance holding onto the floating wire for dear life. The morphed bayard was wrapped around Keith's arm multiple times.

“I got’cha, buddy, _I got'cha!_ " Lance reassured with squinted eyes, smiling.

 _'Good one, Lance!'_ Hunk cheered.

Keith didn't know what to say - his lips had parted, and he stared in mortification. His eyes grew more reflective. 

_This kind of situation..._

"Keith, just hold on! I'm gonna pull you in!" 

_Right. Keith knew what he had to do, for Lance's sake._

"Lance, _listen!_ " He yelled, " _You need to let me go!_ " He stated.

The distance between them was pretty wide, and with every passing tick, the danger would rise.

Lance instantly felt his breath grow shorter at the mere thought of doing what Keith had asked of him - _even more so when he believed, just for a split tick, that Keith was right._

_At this stage, it was all about surviving._

"No!" Lance snapped, feeling bile rile up in his throat, and his skin growing paler, "No, no, no! No way! No, no!" He insisted in desperate repetition, pulling with violent jerks on his grappling bayard - anything to drown the thought out. 

However, Keith resisted, pulling and tugging the bayard back. It was stuck to him like glue, and no matter how hard he tried to free himself from it with his other hand, it wouldn't unwrap itself.

_Were Lance's feelings for him always this strong?_

"I can't let you do this! The wire you're holding onto is too unstable!" Keith warned, "If you pull me any closer, the wire will break, and you'll be stranded, too! The next set of debris will kill you!"

" ** _I'm fine!_** " Lance snapped, " ** _You're fine!_** " He added on, before pausing, irritated with himself and his choice of words, " ** _We're going to be fine!_** " He emphasised in finality.

"Lance, you do this, then we _both_ die!" Keith yelled.

"We won't! Just keep holding on!" Lance insisted.

"Think about what you're doing!"

"I'm not doing it! _I'm not letting you go!_ " Lance stated in finality.

 _'According to my calculations, the next set of debris which will directly impact Lance will come in 5 doboshes!'_ Coran called out.

"...You can still make it to Black in time, before that happens." Keith informed.

"I'm not leaving without you!" Lance snapped, " _I'm not going anywhere without Keith!_ " He addressed the team adamantly.

 _'Lance, Black's crystal has just about enough elemental power to get you back!'_ Pidge informed, _'The code half-succeeded. We can come and help you, but to save Keith in time afterwards is impossible! Even with a wormhole! His oxygen will---'_

 _'I'm afraid that Red can't move any more, either Lance...'_ Allura stated, _'This is your chance. The crystal is located in the Lion's main body. Please, be safe----'_

**_‘Communication systems have gone offline. The signal has been lost.’_ **

**_‘Communication systems have gone offline. The signal has been lost.’_ **

Lance and Keith instantly widened their eyes at the news that their helmets were relaying.

The silence between the two was deafening. But Keith quickly shook his head, and squeezed his eyes momentarily shut.

" _Lance!_ " He snapped.

“ ** _Shut your quiznak, okay?!_** ” Lance screamed, “Just...just shut up, and _let me think!_ ” 

“There isn’t anything to think about!" Keith retorted.

“ _Yes there is!_ ” Lance insisted ferociously.

“I never had much going for me, anyway!" Keith replied, "There isn't much time, _so hurry the fuck up, and l **et me go!**_ ”

“ ** _Are you joking?!_** ” Lance asked in disbelief, “You have _everything_ going for you!” He stated, “You were— _You're_ the paladin of Black! And Red's ex-pilot! Not anyone can do that! You're our _leader_ , a skilled guy who's always doing cool junk, our friend, _my_ \--”

Lance instantly brought his sentence to a halt, and Keith stared.

“ _Rival...?_ ” He asked.

Lance looked almost disgusted at the suggestion – his eyes were squinted, his eyebrows were knitted together, and his lips were parted.

“Wh—“ Lance quickly shook his head, as though Keith had gotten the wrong idea entirely, “ _No!_ " He snapped, " ** _No!_** ” He repeated, with far more resolve than before.

“… _’No’_?” Keith repeated slowly in question, “Then **_what?!_** ” He asked, feeling his emotions overtaking him, " _ **Just what am I to you exactly, Lance?!**_ "

“You don’t know what you mean to me at this point?!” Lance snapped back, “ _Keith, the_ \---the looks we exchange, just…the _atmosphere_ around us…it’s… _different_.”

“… _’Different’_...” Keith repeated with a scoff, "You got that right." He muttered.

“Yes! _Different!_ " Lance adamantly repeated in confirmation, ignoring the boy's comment, “But it’s a _good_ different! And, and…I don’t want to _lose_ whatever this different atmosphere is between us! I don’t want to lose  _you!_ I've never felt this way about a _boy_ before, of all things!"

Keith stared, and parted his lips. His face involuntarily grew redder. But smaller pieces of debris were floating past him. He could only frown at Lance.

 _They--... **he**_ was running out of time.

“We all need to sacrifice things, Lance!” Keith replied, “And this is mine - it isn't your call to make!"

“But you'll tear the team apart!" Lance replied, "What about Voltron!? We can't do it without you!"

Keith paused. The memories throughout their multiple journeys had caused him to close his eyes and smile. He let out a small laugh.

A sudden wave of tranquillity and acceptance had overtaken him.

“You know, Shiro told me he was never giving up on me, and that most importantly, I couldn’t give up on myself.” The Black Paladin stated.

“ _W—what?!_ ” Lance asked in confusion.

“I think I now understand what he meant by that.”

“ _Keith, I don’t---_ “

“This sacrifice shows that...I haven’t given up on myself. It shows how hard I've worked, and how useful I’ve become…to The Blade of Marmora, to the team…to you.”

“ _Wait---_ “

"You're the _true_ Black Paladin, Lance." Keith stated, "You're amazing, and you work so hard. You said I'm the future, but...you don't realise that it's actually the opposite." He added on.

Lance freely let the tears shed.

" _Keith, please..._ "

"I love you so much, Lance. Fake, cocky loverboy, or not. _I love you. And I might have for a while._ " Keith added on with a smile, "Also, tell Krolia---" He cut himself off abruptly, "...Tell my mother that I love her."

" _Stop! Keith, please!_ "

"Take care of our family."

" _Keith!_ "

"Don't worry. Leave without me - _let go._ "

Lance squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, pulling on his grappling bayard once again, using all of his strength. The ex-Black Paladin at this point, equally as strained, began pulling away, resisting.

With his heart sinking in the abyss, Lance could only stare helplessly as the grappling bayard was pulled apart, taking its original form in his grip.

Keith was drifting away, further and further, due to a gravitational pull. He smiled, and the tears were flowing in his helmet. But Lance couldn't see anything.

He couldn't see a goddamn thing, and screamed out.

* * *

**_'Built-in oxygen mask – levels are at one percent. Critical alert.'_ **

“Some deranged part of me thought that I was the only one with problems - and that you were looking down on me, back at the Garrison...” Lance whispered.

_Keith hummed the very same song Lance was singing before._

Lance could hear it, despite the crackling. 

He was hugging his knees, sat on the floor, inside of Black's cockpit. The Lion was moving excruciatingly slowly. 

 _'Houston, it's...it's getting colder...'_ Keith whispered, causing Lance to tense up, widen his eyes, and cry even more.

“ ** _It angered me!_** " The Paladin choked out, punching the floor repeatedly, until his knuckles bled profusely, " _I wanted you to look at me, and I wanted to prove that I was worth something! I wanted to get your attention!_ " He added on.

Keith was softly breathing - his eyelids felt heavier, and his breath was growing colder.

"And...and at some point, I began wondering if I wanted to be you, or be  _with_  you...and before I knew it, I realised, Keith, it's---" 

Lance cut himself off. More breathing. More shivering. He could hear the agony Keith was in.

“…You’re really going to die on me?” He asked.

_'Lance, I’m not...going to die.'_

_If only Lance could truly believe that._  

_'I'm just tired...so I think...I'll sleep for a while...'_

"Please, _just_ \--- ** _just stay awake!_**   _Fuck!_ Just keep breathing! I love you! We'll get help, I promise! I'll---"

_'I didn't want to let go, after all...I love you too...Lance.'_

**_'Built-in oxygen mask – levels are at zero percent. Shutting down systems.'_**  

_With his heart dropping as Keith's voice fuzzed out, Lance eventually heard nothing but white noise._

**Author's Note:**

> "AND THAT'S A WRAP!!! GOOD WORK, PALADINS!!" CORAN CALLED OUT.
> 
> AND LANCE AND KEITH INSTANTLY ENVELOPED EACH OTHER IN A BONE-CRUSHING HUG AND KISSED BECAUSE THIS WAS JUST A REHEARSAL FOR SOME STUPID PLAY AND THANKFULLY NONE OF IT WAS REAL EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT THEY ACTUALLY DO  
> LOVE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH YES THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR READING HAHA //GROSS SOBBING//


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